Circling the globe in a Beechcraft King Air on an extended five-month mission is a profound and addictive pursuit. Talking with Inuit people living in the stunning remoteness of Canada’s massive but sparsely populated northern territory of Nunavut. The happy greeting with smiles visible through hazmat suits in Bangkok, Thailand, after getting the sense an…
Paradise Found – Vacation home contractor builds perfect King Air
He’s only had use of FL-586 for six months, but Ben Giles is certain he’s found paradise in the form of an airplane: a 2008 Beechcraft King Air 350 he purchased in 2020 and had extensively refurbished and upgraded at Textron Aviation’s Indianapolis Service Center. “This is the aircraft we will keep forever, or as…
The Flying Showroom
It’s tough for Jeff Lowe to fly his 1979 Beechcraft King Air C90 past an airport that is home to an aftermarket completion center. As co-founder and president of Aviation Fabricators – or AvFab – he knows each facility is a customer or prospective customer for the interior parts and components his company designs and…
Controlling Destiny – Pilot Levi Stockton is building a West Coast aviation empire
From flying and managing one Beechcraft King Air in 2005 to directing a fleet of 23 aircraft and the operations of the flourishing Hawthorne (California) Municipal Airport, Levi Stockton is skillfully navigating his career and the growth of a company he convinced four real estate investors to support when he was 23 years old. The…
Be a Part of Something Great
With the help of Beechcraft King Air operators, Textron Aviation hopes to form the largest peacetime airlift with at least 200 aircraft flying to Orlando Executive Airport on June 4, 2022. That would mean a Textron Aviation aircraft taking off or landing every two minutes, taking Special Olympics athletes and coaches from their home bases…
A Better Way – From reinventing life-saving equipment to using bizav to build a business, this former Special Forces medic fulfills his mission.
When you think about what a Green Beret does in his free time, you likely don’t envision him sewing in his garage. But that’s exactly where you’d find Ross Johnson in the evenings when he was on active duty as a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces. While serving three tours in Afghanistan, Johnson…
A New Way to Produce – Growth-minded Stamoules Produce purchases first aircraft
When Textron Aviation asked the Stefanopoulos family if they would consider changing their order for a Beechcraft King Air 350i to be the first customer to take delivery of the upgraded King Air 360, it was easy to say yes. The only question they had was why the company chose them since they are “just…
Fleet Feat-Spring City Aviation adds a 360 to its all-King Air charter lineup
What started as a one-aircraft, father-and-son operated flight school in Waukesha, Wisconsin, 25 years ago is now a full service aviation company with 50 employees across three southeastern Wisconsin locations. Beyond flight training, Spring City Aviation offers maintenance on all types of general aviation airplanes, FBO services, aircraft sales, aircraft management and an all-King Air charter…
Turtle Fliers – Pilots join forces to help endangered sea turtles and other species
I’m on the telephone with Leslie J. Weinstein, who is calling from Idaho, where he lives and operates his business, True-Lock LLC, and a nonprofit he founded, Turtles Fly Too. He feigns surprise when I ask about the irony of learning that a sea turtle rescue is based in a landlocked state known for its…
Everyone Speaks C-12
While most civilians are unaware of a small group of guardsmen flying in a West Virginia training schoolhouse, the Fixed Wing Army National Guard Aviation Training Site – or FWAATS – is well-known and well respected among United States Army aviators. “What’s great about FWAATS is that you’re actually flying an airplane,” Chief Warrant Officer…